The One Four Years Later
by underthestars93
Summary: Set after the events of the season 10 finale. Rachel and Ross have gotten divorced (again) and Joey comes back to New York for a visit. Will sparks get reignited? Rachel/Joey pairing. Please read and review! Rated T because I'm not sure where it's going yet.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel couldn't believe what was happening. The first three years had been so good, so how could things have gone so wrong? She had been sure it would work out this time and that's when Rachel walked into Ross's apartment and handed him the divorce papers, she didn't have anything to say.

Trying to get back together had been a mistake – she could see that now, but as Ross signed she didn't feel angry about how their relationship had played out; instead, she only felt sad.

Monica had been the one who took it the hardest when Rachel and Ross had sat down the remaining friends to tell them. She had been so happy to see her best friend and brother work through all their history and start over together. But she, and all the others, had been really supportive when the time had come for them to know. Well, all except for Joey, who was still in Los Angeles becoming a big star. Rachel hadn't had the heart to tell him, not even when Joey had called her spur of the moment to see how she was doing. Rachel had told herself that she would tell him things hadn't worked out with Ross, but when the time came and he asked her how the two of them were doing, she just couldn't. Perhaps it was because Ross had been the riff which stood between him and her all those years ago, or maybe it was simply because Joey was her dearest friend and didn't want him to feel badly for her, but Rachel just couldn't let him know what had happened. And besides, Joey was in L.A. He wasn't coming home anytime soon. He didn't need to know about her and Ross, not quite yet at least. So Rachel had asked the others to promise not to say anything until she'd told him. She'd find the right time to bring it up in conversation… eventually.

"So I guess this is really it, huh?" Ross's voice made her remember where she was. She was in Ross's apartment, the two-bedroom they had found together four years ago after Monica and Chandler had moved out into the suburbs with Jack and Erica. Ross's old place had become too cramped after Emma had begun to walk around much more, and both Rachel and Ross really hadn't wanted to live in a place which held so many awkward memories of their messed up past. They had originally planned to only stay there for a few years before moving out to join Monica and Chandler in the suburbs, but once the fighting started up again between them, Rachel knew buying a house out there wouldn't fix the problem.

"Yeah, I guess so." Rachel answered with a sigh.

A minute of silence passed between them before Ross spoke again.

"Four failed marriages. Gosh, I can't believe it. Now I really am Ross the divorcer."

Rachel shot him a small half smile.

"Ross, sweetie, I don't really think this is the time or place for a joke. No matter how true it is."

"I know, I know, Rach. I just really wish this would have worked."

Rachel reached out and gave Ross a hug. As her face rested upon his chest, she spoke.

"Me too, Ross. Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I have never watched _Joey _so my apologies if Alex sounds out of character. All I know about her is from what I've read on Wikipedia. Please review and let me know how I'm doing and if you like it so far!

When Joey arrived on set that morning he was happy for the first time in a while. Things with Alex were going well and today was the last day of filming for the season. Moving to L.A. had been good for him – New York was filled with too much Rachel. Even though they decided being friends was for the best, Joey never really ever stopped loving her. And when Rachel and Ross got back together – that had been the last straw. He had moved here and met Alex and things had started to be okay. He had been so fortunate to land a role on a brand new T.V. show last year and still remembered what the producer had said to him the night he got the job.

"You're a star, kid. That movie, it's gonna be big. I can just tell. That's why I'm here now. I wanted to get to ya before anyone else. I've got a job I think you'd be perfect for. Ya interested?"

He'd been right. Joey's movie had been a hit and soon he'd gotten offers from tons of agents. They all wanted him, but Stan had gotten to him first, locking Joey into a new series. It turned out to be a good choice and now not only was Joey rolling in the dough, but he really enjoyed doing what he did. Days of Our Lives had been great, but Joey had never felt completely comfortable there. He always thought that the writers still had something against him after that mishap with the interview all those years ago.

The scenes Joey had to finish today weren't too hard, but he was still glad when everyone took a break on set for lunch. Joey couldn't wait to call Alex. He was in the mood to go out celebrating – for what exactly he wasn't entirely sure – but he already was planning where he and Alex would go for dinner. Calling the restaurant was the very first thing he did once on break.

"Hey, it's me." Joey said when Alex picked up her phone a few minutes later.

"Hey, Joey. This is a surprise." Alex's voice seemed strained, but Joey didn't notice. "What are you calling for?"

"It's nothing serious, but I just wanted to let you know I booked us a table at that restaurant you really like downtown. I thought we could go out and celebrate."

"Oh… Ummm… Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to go out tonight, Joe. Something… something's come up."

"Oh, okay. Well what about tomorrow night then?"

"Tomorrow doesn't work either."

"Is everything alright, Alex? You're acting strange."

There was a long pause before Alex answered. The longer it lasted, the more it made Joey nervous.

"I can't do this anymore, Joey."

"What… what do you mean?"

"Look, I really didn't want to do this over the phone."

"Do what, Alex? What are you doing?"

"We can't be together anymore, Joey. It just isn't working. I'm sorry."

"But, but things were going so great."

"I'm… I'm getting back together with my ex. I'm sorry."

"But, Alex…"

"I have to go, Joey. Please don't call me again. My stuff will be moved out before you get home today. Goodbye, Joey."

Joey held the phone up against his ear long after he heard the click of Alex hanging up. At first he couldn't feel anything, but soon all the heartbreaking emotions came flooding back in. It was like Rachel all over again and she had taken years to get over. Only in the past few months had Joey finally felt the Rachel effect disappear, even though Joey and Alex had been dating for much longer before that.

"Joey? We're ready to go back on set when you are," a voice said somewhere near him and Joey remembered he was still at work.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."

Shooting the remaining scenes was hard to do, especially since Joey's head wasn't fully thinking about the lines he needed to say. Thankfully over time Joey had gotten remotely better at multi-tasking – he no longer had to stop thinking about one thing entirely to do another. Joey couldn't get the image out of his head that Alex was putting her belongings into boxes and then leaving his life for forever. As soon as his scenes were shot, he rushed home to try and catch her before she left. Maybe if he could only talk to her, she would stay.

When Joey reached his place he immediately rushed up to him apartment. Alex and him picked it out last year – they had wanted a new place they could call their own. Joey opened the door and found himself face to face with Alex. She looked shocked to see him and looked down at the box she was carrying before speaking.

"I didn't think you'd be home so early."

"I wanted to tell you…" Joey's voice faded off when he heard rustling in the next room. "Is there someone here with you?"

Just as Joey spoke, a dark-haired guy walked out of Joey and Alex's bedroom. He looked familiar, but Joey couldn't quite place him.

"Joey, you remember Eric, right?"

"I think I'm going to give you two a minute." Eric said and slipped past Joey and out the front door of the apartment.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Joey asked, pointing around everywhere. "And who is he?"

"Eric, Joey. My ex-husband?"

"Ohhhhhhh. But that still doesn't explain all of this!"

"Joey, there's no easy way to tell you this, but I'm pregnant."

"Then why are you leaving? I hope you don't think that just because we aren't married I won't stay around and help raise our baby! In fact…" Joey bent down on one knee and for a split second he was reminded of when he proposed to Rachel after finding out she was pregnant.

"No, Joey." Alex said and pulled him back up to his feet. "That's not why I'm leaving."

"Then why?" Joey asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

It took a moment for Alex to answer.

"You're not the father, Joey. It's Eric's."

It took a minute for Joey to realize what Alex had just admitted to.

"You cheated on me? But how?"

"Eric's my ex-husband, Joey. We… we just reconnected. I don't really want to get into it though. I feel terrible about this, really. But I really think it'll be easier if I just go."

This time, Joey didn't protest. He let her walk past him and out of his front door for the last time.

"Goodbye, Joey." Alex said and then she was gone.

Joey closed the apartment door behind him, unsure of how to feel. He loved Alex, and she cheated on him, and now she was gone and he was alone. Joey walked over to the phone and picked it up. He needed to get away from here and all the memories before his emotions settled in. Joey dialled the airline's number and spoke in a controlled, clear voice.

"Yes, I'd like to book a ticket to New York City. When? As soon as possible."


	3. Chapter 3

Once Joey had landed in New York and hailed a cab, the first thing he did was call Monica and Chandler.

"Hello?"

"Chandler! Hey, it's Joey!"

"Oh hey, Joe. What's up?"

"Listen, I'm here in New York and I was wondering if I could crash at your place. I just need some time to figure things out."

Joey could hear muffled voices on the other end of the phone and assumed Chandler was talking to Monica.

"Yeah, of course, Joe. You can stay as long as you like. But seriously, man, is everything alright?"

"I'll explain everything when I get there."

"Alright, see you soon then."

"Bye," Joey said and hung up the phone.

He gave the cab driver an address in the city – though Joey was going to Chandler and Monica's in Westchester, there was one place he needed to go first.

When Joey arrived at Ross and Rachel's apartment, he paused outside the door. He didn't even know why he was here entirely, or why he felt that he needed to see them before anyone else. To be perfectly honest, Joey really wanted to see Rachel. He missed Ross, but it was Rachel that he really was here for. She was his best friend and… No, Joey forced himself to stop thinking about her in that way. Rachel was with Ross now. They were married. They were happy. Joey had missed his chance with her and he would have to accept that.

Joey raised his hand to knock on the apartment door, but stopped again. Would Ross and Rachel be happy to see him? It had been such a long time since he last visited – Emma had still been a baby. And she would be what now? Joey tried to do the math in his head but gave up quickly. Math has never been his strong suit. Thankfully he didn't have to do math for acting. Joey had a strange suspicion that his career wouldn't be as hot if that was the case.

Taking a breath, Joey knocked on the door.

"Give me a minute!" he heard Ross's familiar voice yell frantically, followed by a crashing noise and a cry of pain. The door opened and Joey found himself staring face to face with Ross. "Joey! Oh my God! What are you doing here? Come in,"

Joey followed Ross into the apartment and couldn't help but notice how messy it was. Or the fact that Ross was hobbling on one leg. Joey figured that Ross must have tripped over something and that was the cry he heard. It was strange seeing the apartment messy though. Ross was like Monica – he loved to keep his place spotless. As if Ross could read Joey's mind he spoke again.

"Sorry about the place. Emma's decided everywhere has now become her bedroom. But seriously, what are you doing here, Joey? I thought you were in L.A. still."

"Yeah, I needed some space from there for a little while."

"Really? What's wrong? Is everything alright between you and Alex? That was her name, right?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Ross."

"Alright then—"

"Okay, okay. Alex cheated on me and she's pregnant and I don't know what to do!" Joey reached out and grabbed Ross for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Joe. That's terrible. I don't really know what else to say."

Joey pulled back from Ross and stiffened his lower lip.

"That hug, it never happened, okay?"

"Okay,"

"Where's Rach and Emma?"

"Rachel took Emma to the park for a bit. At least that's what she said on the phone. She should be dropping her off before dinner though."

"Oh okay. Well I just wanted to stop in and see if I could catch you guys to say hi before heading over to Monica and Chandler's."

"Well when she comes by I'll tell her you're here. Are you staying at Mon's?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you later then, Joe. I tend to come by there more frequently these days. It was good to see you though, Joe."

"You too, Ross."

When Joey got into another cab and started to head to Monica and Chandler's, he couldn't help but think it was weird Ross said Rachel was dropping Emma off. She lived there too! Joey couldn't help but think that for a doctor, Ross could be pretty stupid sometimes. He debated whether or not to think about it anymore, but decided against it. It was Rachel and Ross. They were each other's lobsters! What could be wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait, she did what?" Chandler couldn't believe what Joey had just said. Though he had never met her, Chandler thought that Alex had seemed like a nice person. Joey always had spoken well of her. Chandler hadn't seen Joey this infatuated with anyone since Rachel and now that was all gone and Joey was alone again.

"How could she do this to me?" Joey cried out and flopped down on the couch.

"If there's anything we can do, Joey, just let us know, okay?" Monica said and handed Joey another plate of cookies. When Chandler had gotten off the phone with Joey, he knew something bad had happened. Joey hadn't been back to New York since Ross and Rachel's wedding – and that had been three years ago. Monica had practically sprinted to the kitchen to whip up some cookies for Joey; they both figured he'd need some sort of comfort.

"You guys are the best. And thanks again for letting me stay here. It really means a lot."

"You will always be welcome here, Joey." Monica gave Joey a quick hug. "You're family."

"Speaking of family, where is yours? I don't hear screaming."

"Erica and Jack aren't babies anymore, Joe. They're four. But they're over at a friend's house for a birthday party. We don't have to pick them up for a bit."

"What about everyone else? How's Pheebs and Mike?"

"They're good. Mike's piano playing has really taken off. He's been booked solid for like a month."

"Oh, wow! That's great! And Pheebs?"

"Well we can't really tell—"

"She's pregnant!" Monica blurted out.

"Monica! Phoebe said we weren't supposed to say anything yet."

"Sorry! I'm just so excited! I love babies! And besides, it's just Joey."

"Hey!" Joey said and Monica shrugged at him. Joey was mad for a split second and then it was gone. Something else came into his mind which was more important. "Oh, guys, guys, guys, guys. Something really weird happened when I was over at Ross and Rachel's today."

"You went over there?"

Chandler couldn't help but notice the strained tone in Monica's voice as she spoke. Talking about them really bothered her, and he knew that Monica really didn't want to lie to Joey. All Chandler wanted to do was tell Joey the truth and change the topic, but they all had promised Rachel no one would say anything yet. He was now regretting making that promise, and he was sure Monica was too.

"How was that?" Monica asked and shifted uncomfortably on her chair.

"Well I asked Ross where Rachel and Emma were and he told me Rachel would be dropping Emma off for dinner. I mean hello, Rachel lives there too? She wouldn't be dropping her off, right?"

"Maybe she had a hair appointment?" Monica jumped in.

"Or she was going to get another nose job!" Chandler watched as both Joey and Monica turned to look at him. Joey looked confused and Monica looked unimpressed. "I should have stuck with the hair appointment, shouldn't I?"

"Ya think?" Monica said and shook her head.

"Well I'm sorry, but I get nervous when I need to think on the spot. And then the words just come flying out!"

"Guys, what's going on?"

Chandler shifted over on the couch next to Joey.

"Okay, Rachel and Ross… They've been having some problems between them."

"Problems? What kind of problems?"

"Joey, honey. They're getting a divorce." Monica reached out to place a hand on Joey's knee.

"But I just talked to Rachel a few weeks ago and she said everything was fine! How could they go from fine to divorced in a few weeks?"

"Joe, I think it's been longer than a few weeks. Rach probably didn't want to tell you over the phone. I mean when Ross and Rachel told all of us it was in person."

"Ah man! Moving was the worst thing ever! I miss out on everything!"

"Well you're here now." Monica said and rubbed his knee. "Cookie?"

The doorbell rang and Chandler got up. Just before he left the room, Chandler turned around to face Joey.

"Hey, Joe. You're going to be okay."

Chandler walked over to the front door and opened it up. Rachel was standing on the other side.

"Hi, can I come in? Is Joey here?"

"Rachel, hi. Yeah, come on in. Joey and Monica are in the living room. I think Joe might be eating his way to a new cookie-eating world record."

"Thanks, Chandler. Ross told me Joey stopped by. I can't believe he's here in New York! I really need to talk to him."

"Rach? Is that you?"

Chandler could hear Joey walking out to the front hall as he spoke. He needed to tell Rachel now.

"Rach, he knows. Joey knows."

"Rachel," Joey said and Chandler turned around to see Joey staring at her. Just the look in his eyes said it all and Chandler knew in that moment that Joey still loved Rachel and even though she lied to him, he didn't care.

"Hi, Joe." Rachel said and then Joey closed the gap between them and wrapped her in a hug.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Joey's arms were around Rachel and he smelt the familiar scent of her shampoo, he knew coming to New York had been the absolutely right thing to do. He hadn't been entirely sure what would happen when he saw Rachel, and looking back on it Joey figured that was probably the reason why he'd gone to see her and Ross first. If Joey had seen them happy together, maybe that would have finally put out his feelings for Rachel. But he hadn't seen them, and now Rachel and Ross were getting divorced – again.

Joey pulled back from the hug and glanced at Rachel's left hand – there was no ring on it. Reality hit him hard then. Rachel and Ross were no longer together. Joey's heart skipped a beat at this thought and he felt butterflies return to his stomach. What was happening to him? His eyes rose from her hand to her face. Rachel's eyes were filled with tears.

"Rach, why are you crying?"

"I think I'm going to leave you two alone and make sure Monica hasn't eaten all the cookies." Chandler said with a little laugh and Joey heard him leave the room.

"I'm so sorry, Joe. I should have told you about Ross and me. I just didn't know how."

Joey reached up and placed two fingers on her lips. "Shhh, don't worry. I'm not upset. All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy, Rach, so don't worry about me."

Rachel smiled and gave Joey another hug.

"And I heard about Alex. Sweetie, that's terrible. Are you okay?"

"You know, I didn't think I was, but being here with all you guys makes me think differently."

"That's good, sweetie. I'm glad we were able to help a bit."

"Yeah," Joey said.

His mind had moved past feeling sorry for himself and being sad over losing Alex the moment he saw Rachel standing in the front hall of Chandler and Monica's house, but Joey didn't tell her that. He'd really liked Alex, and maybe at one point even loved her, but she had never even been in the same ball park as Rachel.

Joey found that he couldn't stop looking at Rachel – she was just so beautiful! He hadn't seen her in three years, but Rachel hadn't aged a single day. Her hair was styled a little differently – the bangs had grown out and were now the same length as her roughly shoulder-length hair, but her eyes still had that same sparkle which made Joey go weak at the knees. She looked fantastic, timeless, and Joey couldn't get enough of her.

"Joe? Are you alright?" Rachel said and snapped him out of his daydream-like state.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I… I just missed you!" Joey said and grabbed Rachel for another hug.

Chandler and Monica walked in then and Rachel broke away from Joey to give Monica a hug.

"Is everything alright between you two?" Chandler asked Joey quietly so Rachel and Monica wouldn't hear him.

"Yeah, I mean no, I mean I don't know. Chandler, you gotta help me. I need to talk to you."

"Is this a cold pizza talk or a leftover meatloaf talk?" Chandler said with a smile.

"Chandler, I'm serious. No jokes, okay?"

"Alright, alright, but you know I'm not good at that, right?"

"Is there somewhere else we can go?" Joey said gesturing at Rachel and Monica. He really didn't want her to hear what he had to say, not yet at least.

"Yeah, come on. We'll go to the basement."

Joey followed Chandler down the hallway and flight of stairs. When they got over to the furthest corner from the stairs, Joey started to talk.

"I think I like Rachel again."

"Yeah, I kinda got that already. What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, Chan. I mean, it took me so long to get over her the first time. What if that happens again?"

"Well what went wrong the last time?"

"It was complicated. Emma had just been born, Ross wasn't okay with it, but then he sort of was, and then I couldn't unhook her bra because all I was thinking was it's Rachel!"

"But…"

"But when I saw her upstairs just there all I could think about was how much I missed being with her. I mean, yeah, it's Rachel, but it's Rachel."

"I'm not following."

"I spent almost all that time in L.A. trying to get her out of my head in that sort of way. I don't think it worked. She's the most important person to me, Chandler. But how do I tell her that?"

Chandler smiled and patted Joey on the shoulder.

"You tell her exactly what you just told me."

"Really?"

"Yeah,"

"Alright," Joey said and started for the stairs. Chandler raced over to him and pulled on his arm.

"Not now, Joe! You have to wait a little bit."

"Oh," Joey said and nodded his head.

Chandler smiled. Joey was still Joey. Some things never changed.


	6. Chapter 6

When Chandler and Joey disappeared, Rachel pulled Monica into the kitchen.

"You have to help me!" Rachel said in a whispery, panicked voice.

"What? What is it?"

"Ever since I found out from Ross that Joey's back, I haven't been able to get him out of my mind!"

"Okay, I'm going to need a little more to go on than that."

"I started feeling… romantic attractions towards him when Ross told me he was here, and they've only been getting worse since I saw him here tonight!"

"Oh my God!"

"I know! It's terrible! I'm a horrible person. I literally just got Ross to sign the divorce papers yesterday!"

"This is big! What's Ross going to think?"

"Monica!"

"What? He is your very recent ex-husband."

Rachel let out a small gasp.

"That's right. He is. And that's exactly why nothing can happen between Joey and me! I mean, we tried it before and it didn't work. But what would that do to Ross? And Joey! Oh, there's no way he wants to start anything with me now! He was in love with Alex just yesterday. No, he's not thinking of me. It was so long ago. Oh, this is such a mess!"

"Are you sure about this, Rach?"

"Yeah, I mean Joey and I had fun, yeah, but we couldn't do anything but kiss! I slapped him away!"

"And why was that?"

"Because it was Joey! And it was weird!"

"Is it still weird now?"

Rachel paused to think about that. Would being with Joey still be strange? She wasn't sure.

"I don't know."

"And Ross wouldn't be in the way anymore. I mean, you guys don't have feelings for each other anymore, right?"

"Yeah, but hey! Just a minute ago you were thinking about how he'd react!"

"Rach, I loved you and Ross together, believe me, but even I have to be honest and say that you two weren't exactly compatible always."

"So what are you saying, Mon? I should go for Joey?"

"I'm saying that I want you to be happy and I remember how happy he made you. Don't rush into things, obviously, but don't close yourself off to something just because you think it won't work. You never know, maybe there's still something there."

Rachel hugged Monica tightly. She was glad her best friend didn't think she was crazy for feeling the way she did. Things between her, Ross, and Joey were complicated and would definitely take time to straighten out, but it was good to know Monica had her back. Rachel heard the door to the basement open up and Chandler and Joey's voices soon were heard.

"Mon? Where'd you go?" Chandler called out.

"We're in the kitchen!" Monica yelled and soon the guys joined them.

When Joey walked in, Rachel looked at him in a way she hadn't in so long. Joey. Funny, charming Joey. Rachel smiled at him, thinking to herself that Joey still looked really good. He'd kept himself in shape since moving to L.A., though Rachel wasn't surprised. With all those beaches, you'd have to stay in shape or be in fear of being embarrassed. There was a faint amount of grey beginning to appear around Joey's temples, but his face still looked young and vibrant, just as she remembered him to look from when he was last living in New York.

"Oh shoot, Chandler. We need to go pick up the twins." Monica said suddenly and the two of them rushed out of the room. Monica popped her head around the corner again long enough to say, "We'll only be gone for a little bit!"

Rachel heard the front door close and then there was silence. She and Joey were alone together. They danced around each other in the kitchen before Rachel decided to speak.

"So… What were you and Chandler talking about downstairs?"

"Oh, oh, just boring guy stuff." Joey shifted uncomfortably on his feet and Rachel wondered why. Joey didn't like to lie or skirt around the truth, so what was it that he didn't want her to know?

"Guy stuff, huh? Like what?"

"I don't think you'd be interested, Rach."

"Try me."

Joey squirmed a little more and Rachel knew she was close to cracking him.

"Really, Rach. I don't think you'd…"

"Joey, you know you can tell me anything. I won't judge. Promise."

"But Chandler told me—"

"Oh screw Chandler! Since when has he ever been good at giving advice?"

Joey seemed to consider this for a second.

"Okay, the truth is…" His voice trailed off and Rachel wondered if he was going to continue.

"Joe?" she prompted.

"No, I can't. It's not right. I'm sorry, Rach. I've gotta go. It was nice to see you."

Joey turned around and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Rachel standing alone wondering why Joey couldn't tell her what it was he wanted to say. It wasn't like Joey to keep secrets, especially from her. Rachel heard the front door open and then close quickly and knew that Joey had left. She let herself get a bit frustrated at him. She didn't like that he was hiding something from her. Well, he would have to come back eventually. He was staying here, after all. Rachel walked over into Monica and Chandler's living room and sat down on one of their chairs. She'd wait for Joey to come back and then would make him tell her whatever it was he was hiding.


	7. Chapter 7

Once Joey was outside the house and wandering around Monica and Chandler's neighbourhood, he began to actually process what had just happened with Rachel back in the kitchen. She had given him a perfect opening to tell her about his feelings, but when he had tried, he just couldn't. Chandler had been right. It just wasn't the right time to tell Rachel how he felt. She was divorcing Ross – Ross, the person who was supposed to be her lobster. Rachel wouldn't want a relationship right now and she definitely wouldn't want it to be with Joey, the one who confused things even further.

Joey passed by a group of kids playing some ball hockey and smiled – they were so energetic and happy, it was hard not to smile. Joey couldn't help but realize that one day he would be watching his own son or daughter out on the road playing hockey with all the other neighbourhood kids. Maybe that day would come sooner if things ever were to work out with Rachel. Would Emma want to play hockey outside? He figured probably not – she was Rachel's daughter after all, but perhaps she'd jump rope instead, or play tag.

When Joey noticed his thoughts had flipped to Rachel he shook his head. He couldn't let himself think like that. Rachel was trying to figure things out with her and Ross. Thinking about her in that way would only tempt him further to talk about his feelings. Rachel would need some time to get over being with Ross. He needed to give her the space she needed. And besides, wishful thinking wouldn't get him anywhere. Joey wasn't even sure if Rachel still felt anything towards him. He couldn't afford to start thinking about what his life would be like as a step-father to Emma, let alone any other future kids he may have.

Joey continued to walk around until the sky was pitch black. By this time Monica and Chandler would be home and Rachel would have left to go back into the city. He figured it was a good time to come home then. Joey made his way back to the house and opened the front door quietly before stepping in. The front hall light had been left on for him, but there was no other sign that anyone was awake in the house. Joey figured Monica and Chandler were in their bedroom, but he didn't want to disturb either of them so he just headed towards the living room to watch a bit of T.V. Going for a walk hadn't tired him out like he thought he would, but Joey knew that half an hour of boring news would put him out like a light.

When Joey reached the living room he stopped in his tracks. There, asleep in a chair, was Rachel. He couldn't believe that she was still here. Did she stay here all this time waiting for him to come back to the house? Or worse, what if she was living with Monica and Chandler too since divorcing Ross? Joey tried to convince himself that Rachel wouldn't do that. She'd want to stay in the city – it was close to her work. She loved the city, right?

Joey was about to leave the room and just go to his bedroom, but then Rachel shivered a little in her chair. He noticed a blanket draped over the arm of the couch and walked over to pick it up. He didn't want her to be cold for the whole night. As he covered Rachel gently with the blanket, Joey leaned forward and kissed the top of her head softly. Joey smelt the shampoo again and his heart skipped a beat. He knew he shouldn't be doing this – kissing her – but Joey just couldn't help it. It was Rachel.

Just as Joey broke away from her, Rachel stirred. Joey froze. How was he going to explain this?

"Joey?" Rachel mumbled softly and stared up at him.

The moonlight caught her face in such a way that drove Joey crazy. She looked so beautiful, it just wasn't fair. Joey reached out and gently brushed his fingers along the side of Rachel's face. She didn't move, didn't pull away. Just stared at him with those beautiful eyes. What was he doing?

Joey's hand slid down to her chin and he guided her face closer to his. He could feel her warm breath on his face. Joey leaned a little forward until their lips touched. He was reminded of Barbados, their old apartment – every single place Rachel and he had ever kissed. This time though there was something else there, a fire that had never appeared before. Joey considered wondering what it was, but just the feeling of Rachel's lips on his drove all thoughts away. In this moment, he didn't care. He had Rachel, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
